‘Viduthalai’ Part 2: What To Expect Next From Vetrimaaran’s Film?

Vetrimaaran is a fantastic director, and “Viduthalai” again proved that there is no better storyteller in the socio-political drama genre than him. The pain faced by the oppressed and the police taking advantage, knowing there would be no one that could save them from here on; the sort of power struggle that goes on between the authorities, which is the police and the ministers in the context of this film; and the villagers who end up facing the brunt of the conflict between the extremists and the government. The villagers are not asked about what they want; it is just assumed they would be culprits here.

By the end of the film “Viduthalai,” we get to see Kumaresan finally finding a way to nab Perumal. Kumaresan knew catching hold of this man would mean the women at the police camp would not be tortured for information about him. Perumal, on the other hand, tried to run as far away from the court of law as possible, hoping that staying underground and unseen would help create a god-like image of himself in front of the villagers, who consider him their savior. The ending chase sequence was also like the chase Pablo Escobar had to endure to avoid being caught, but at the end of it, he was shot dead. In this case, Perumal was wanted alive, and Kumaresan made sure he was delivered alive to Sunil Menon. The last shot of this part of “Viduthalai” has Kumaresan hoping things will get better for him from here on, and there is no way he will be fired from his job. But Kumaresan has another destiny written—by none other than his superiors at work.

Vetrimaaran knows how to make the audience want more by giving us a sneak peek into what the man plans to tell us in the second half of the film. The second part of “Viduthalai” is slated to be released in September 2023, and we can expect things to go from bad to worse for the characters in it. Hopefully, the next part will end on some kind of hopeful note. Perumal is expected to be brutally interrogated by Sunil and his men to extract more information about the train bombing. Perumal is an educated teacher who does not believe in oppression but in the upliftment of people through education. This is something he is trying to instill through his struggle to make his people empowered.

Perumal has talked about the land being divided based on language before, and he hopes to use the language to make people understand why it is the only important factor and the rest does not matter. Perumal is being interrogated completely unclothed, something that the police do, which is shown explicitly in this film. Here again, Perumal questions how this could be equality if he is stripped of his dignity and forced to speak while the police are speaking to him by looking down on him. All of this will be expanded, and it will be interesting to know if Perumal will be granted bail. Even if he is granted bail, who would bail him out?

The women in the film, particularly Tamilarasi, will come back with a vengeance for the way they were treated in the name of enhanced interrogation. They wouldn’t want anything else but jail time for the policemen who sexually molested everyone. Part two of “Viduthalai” has to be about Perumal getting things back in his control somehow, and making sure the police lose the battle this time. A setback is a common thing in any conflict, which will help Perumal to be more cautious. But with Perumal branded a terrorist after the railway bridge bombing, will he be able to justify his crimes?

The possibility of Perumal using his ideology to brainwash some of the police constables to join his movement, which might include Kumaresan as well; why? Because Kumaresan is not rewarded for bringing down Perumal, being the key person to locate his hideout, and making sure Perumal is arrested unharmed. But the man is sadly suspended for superseding the orders, basically not doing his job, which is to follow his orders, which he did when he pursued Perumal in his way. Perumal will use this opportunity to prove his point of power, with the police trying their level best to oppress the people who do not have it. People such as these need to be empowered. Will Sunil Menon too have a change of heart? Keeping in mind the man talks about how the government wants people to not get influenced by Perumal’s words, especially the future generation, Sunil Menon too might empathize with the main man and his working ethics.

Kumaresan will most probably join Perumal’s movement and work against the system he previously worked under. Will the government at hand now try its level best to get the death sentence for Perumal? That would be an easy way to get rid of the man, who is considered a hero and has many followers from across districts in the state. His death would mean the end of the movement, and it would probably split into various other splinter groups following varied ideologies. It will be interesting to know if the government’s end game is to finish Perumal or if there is anyone above him who needs to be tackled as well. The chief secretary is hoping to keep Perumal behind bars for years, but Sunil Menon is sure that Perumal’s ideology will never die. The audience can expect some major twists in the tale in the upcoming Part 2 of this excellent film, which might be a little bit convoluted, but once you understand the politics of it, “Viduthalai” gets too real and murky.


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Smriti Kannan
Smriti Kannan
Smriti Kannan is a cinema enthusiast, and a part time film blogger. An ex public relations executive, films has been a major part of her life since the day she watched The Godfather – Part 1. If you ask her, cinema is reality. Cinema is an escape route. Cinema is time traveling. Cinema is entertainment. Smriti enjoys reading about cinema, she loves to know about cinema and finding out trivia of films and television shows, and from time to time indulges in fan theories.

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